The staff of the National Solar Observatory is pleased that the NRC
Astronomy and Astrophysics Survey Committee has placed an emphasis on the
need to develop new high-resolution capabilities in solar physics and has
given high priority to the development of a large-aperture, Advanced Solar
Telescope (AST). We will work closely with the solar community to bring such
a telescope on line and make it available to solar astronomers over the next
several years. Current NSO programs in adaptive optics and infrared
technologies are helping to provide the critical technologies needed to
enable the next generation solar telescope. We agree that the "AST will
observe solar plasma processes and magnetic fields with unprecedented
resolution in space and time, providing a unique opportunity to probe cosmic
magnetic fields and test theories of their generation, structure and
dynamics." AST development will involve strong community and international
participation, beginning with a design and development phase in FY 2001. NSO
is committed to the development of the AST and to the operation of SOLIS and
GONG as cornerstones of the US ground-based program in solar physics. NSO is
also committed to its cooperative work with other specific solar programs
and agencies including RISE/PSPT, the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter, synoptic
observing programs, SOLAR-C, and to supporting solar space missions. The
staff of NSO is working to address many other recommendations of the decadal
survey, including an expansion of the SOLIS instruments to additional
international sites, the development of a comprehensive and powerful data
handling system for solar data, and closer cooperation with universities and
other solar observatories.